When the St. Louis Cardinals step on the field to face the New York Mets on Thursday, March 29 for Opening Day, one thing is clear…
Two of the best pitchers are going to light up the guns, and make opposing batters look foolish.
For the visiting Cardinals, Carlos Martínez takes the mound. The 26 year old reigns from the Dominican Republic is ready for another Opening Day opportunity. Carlos had a chance last season to take on the defending World Series Champion Chicago Cubs, and he brought it. Martínez threw 7.1 innings, giving up only 6 hits while striking out 10 in route to a no-decision.
Cardinals Opening Day Lineup
1. RF Dexter Fowler
2. CF Tommy Pham
3. 3B Matt Carpenter
4. LF Marcell Ozuna
5. 1B José Martínez
6. C Yadier Molina
7. SS Paul DeJong
8. 2B Kolten Wong
9. SP Carlos Martínez
Opposing him for the Mets is another youngster in the form of Thor himself Noah Syndergaard. This will also be Syndergaard’s second Opening Day start. He pitched against the Atlanta Braves to begin the season and he went 6.0 innings and struck out 8 for a no-decision.
Mets Opening Day Lineup
1. CF Brandon Nimmo
2. LF Yoenis Cespedes
3. RF Jay Bruce
4. 2B Asdrubal Cabrera
5. 3B Todd Frazier
6. 1B Adrian Gonzalez
7. C Kevin Plawecki
8. SP Noah Syndergaard
9. SS Amed Rosario
Both Syndergaard and Martínez have plus fastball velocity. In fact according to Fangraphs, they are some of the best in baseball.
| Year | Avg FB Velocity |
Rank (Min 150 Inn)
|
|
| Carlos Martínez | |||
| 2013 | 97.6 | DNQ | |
| 2014 | 96.1 | DNQ | |
| 2015 | 95.2 | 7th | |
| 2016 | 96.5 | 2nd | |
| 2017 | 96.4 | 2nd | |
|
Noah Syndergaard
|
|||
| 2015 | 96.5 | 2nd | |
| 2016 | 97.9 | 1st | |
| 2017 | 99 | DNQ |
Anthony DiComo on Twitter
Fun Statcast nugget on Noah Syndergaard, who has thrown more 99+ mph pitches than any other starter in baseball the past three seasons. By a lot: 1. Noah Syndergaard: 823 2. Nathan Eovaldi: 328 3. Carlos Martinez: 314 4. Yordano Ventura: 310 5. Luis Severino: 217
Both St. Louis and New York fans were left with much to be desired after disappointing 2017 campaigns. The Cardinals finished 83-79 and were in the thick of the NL Wild-Card race until the end, but didn’t quite get there. They finished behind the Chicago Cubs and the Milwaukee Brewers for third place in the NL Central. The biggest move of the offseason was trading for OF Marcell Ozuna from the Miami Marlins. Ozuna looks to add a solid bat to the middle of the lineup for a Cardinals offense that was already respectable coming off of last year.
The Mets finished up a 70-92 for fourth place in the NL East. There was a lot of talent on this squad, but injuries certainly did not help. Syndergaard as was mentioned previously, only managed 30 innings on the season before suffering a tear in his right lat which cost him a majority of the season. Slugger Yoenis Céspedes also missed time playing in only 81 games a year ago.
This game certainly shapes up to be a pitchers duel. Two of the hardest throwing youngsters in the game trying to start their team off on the right foot. Should be an exciting first game! And if you’re like me, I’m sure you’re wondering the same thing… Which hairstyle will Martínez be sporting??
Prediction : Cardinals 3-2 Mets
Martínez – 6.1 IP, 2 ER, 7K, ND
Syndergaard – 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 8K, ND
First pitch – 12:05 PM Central Time @ NY Mets Citi Field
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